PIA flight PK-404 disappearance marks 37 years

Thirty-seven years have passed since Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-404 mysteriously disappeared from radar. The aircraft, a Fokker F27 with registration number AP-BBF, departed Gilgit for Islamabad on August 25, 1989.

At the time of takeoff, Captain S.S. Zubair informed passengers that weather conditions were favorable and estimated a one-hour flight at an altitude of approximately 8,500 feet. The plane lost contact with air traffic control just nine minutes after takeoff, at 7:45 AM, without issuing a ‘mayday’ call or reporting any technical malfunctions.

Despite extensive search operations conducted by the Pakistan Air Force, the Pakistan Army, and local volunteers in the mountainous northern regions, including areas near Nanga Parbat, no wreckage, black box, or remains of the 49 passengers and 5 crew members have ever been recovered. The disappearance remains one of the most enduring mysteries in Pakistan's aviation history.